


Spin Offs

by KarmicRogue



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Daemons, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 05:34:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13710936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarmicRogue/pseuds/KarmicRogue
Summary: Basically a collection of works/scenes that tie in to a past work, they spawn from either challenges from friends, requests or questions from readers, or my own desire to flesh out the characters backgrounds even if it won't fit into the established story. The established story is Gardens of the Moon (which is an AU), posted in full on fanfiction.net and is in the process of migrating to this site.





	Spin Offs

**How We’ve Changed**

 

**Michiru**

My mom dropped me off at Rei's house with a small frown, slowing the car as she pulled up the driveway. Her gaze was steady on the imposing building.   
  
    “If she....” My mom starts to say but I cut her off.   
  
    “I know, I'll call if we need to get out of here. I love you mom.” I tell her as I get out of the car, wanting to get to Rei as soon as humanly possible.   
  
    “Alright sweetheart, I'll talk to you later then.” She replies, completely understanding. There's no anger there about the fact I'd cut her off... only quiet concern for my best friend.   
  
    I shut the door behind me and, together, Con and I race to the door. He shifts from a robin to a mouse as we reach the door, slipping in through the mail slot. I reached for the door knob, not even bothering to knock. If Rei was as bad off as she seemed, she wasn't going to answer; just like she hadn't come to school today. And if Masaru was home I didn't want to risk him turning me away.   
  
    Instead I push the door open and step inside, automatically glancing towards the living room. Masaru's sitting there, staring at the fire place with a glass of what seems to be whiskey clenched in his hand. Con looks up at me and scampers up my arm, shifting half way into a cat of some type - sitting in silent judgement over Rei's father – it's barely even four and he's cracked open the hard stuff.   
  
    Without greeting Masaru, I began the trek to the wing of the house where Rei's room was located. It's about as far from the main house as it could get, the physical distance between her and Masaru's accommodations was telling and I couldn't help but notice it each time I came over.   
  
    Con rubbed his head against mine, trying to be reassuring but failing. We both knew how bad this was.     
  
    I slipped into her bedroom quietly, glancing down at the smashed glass that seemed to have been hurled at the door. From there my eyes traveled to the hole in the wall, very clearly where Rei had punched it. I glanced down at Condatis before we ventured further into Rei's domain.   
  
    I felt both of us stall when we caught sight of Rei framed in front of the windows; hands fisted at her side as she glared at the darkening sky – her knuckles raw and bleeding. From there my gaze as drawn to where Andraste was backed up into a corner, looking just as agitated as her other half.   
  
    “Are... are you alright?” I heard Con ask Andraste – or maybe even Rei, I wasn't too sure at this point in time. All we wanted was to make it better for them. I swallowed roughly when Rei's jaw clenched; I couldn't even stand to look at Andraste, her muscles were coiled, fur standing on end with teeth bared.   
  
    “I-” Andraste started then their voice broke off with a noise somewhere between a snarl and a whine.   
  
    “We're going insane.” Rei completed, looking back out the window after barely a glance in our direction, the steady tone of defeat was breaking my heart. Where Rei was nearly emotionless Andraste was almost feral with them. “Masaru knows it, we know it... the world just doesn’t make sense.”   
  
    “Rei...” I whispered, reaching for her hand as I crossed the room towards her – doing my best to convey my level of conviction through words and actions. There was no other way to make her believe that I believed in her. It felt like there was no way for me to convince her that she wasn't what her father thought her to be. “You're not going crazy. Masaru's wrong. You're wrong.”   
  
    “I have a lifetime worth of memories – hallucinations – in my head. There's no other explanation for all of this shit. I am insane, that's the only option. I'm mentally unstable and you still manage to believe that I'm...”   
  
    I leaned into her shoulder, wrapping myself as tightly around her as possible – wanting to make these thoughts stop. I'd been getting fragments off of Rei, snapshots of times and places I didn’t consciously recognize but some how I knew them. Nothing fit into this world and so, what little Rei had told me of her... episodes, I was inclined to trust them. Trust they were real.   
  
    “I know you’re not crazy Rei, I don't know how to explain how I know this... but I do. You are just as sane as the rest of us, you just...” I tried to reason, tried to erase all the pills Masaru had made her take, all the therapists and psychiatrists he'd made her see.   
  
    “Remember things that didn’t fucking happen?!” Andraste snarled, white teeth bared and dangerous. Rei had jerked out of my arms and was now pacing near the door, looking ready to cause more damage to either the room or herself. Andraste slunk after her, claws clicking softly against the hardwood floors. Condatis was flickering between forms, doing his best to reflect or alleviate the agitation and anxiety our friends were feeling. “We remember demons and magic and...”   
  
    “And dying.” Condatis completed with agony in his voice, stretching our bond so that he could lay his paws against Rei, making her stop in her tracks. Immediately I felt a Settling surge of calm wash over the two of us, even as it was intertwined with the pull of our bond and the memory of what it felt like to lose Rei. To experience her death.   
  
    “Oh.” I murmured softly, moving closer to my other half, reaching my hands out towards Rei, and by extension, Andraste.   
  
    The moment my arms wrapped around Rei's slim waist, my hand reached out of its own accord to caress Andraste's fur; Rei folded herself in around me. And then I was pulled into the grip of my past, images, memories, and feelings did their best to drag me in, drag me down like they were doing to Rei.   
  
    Oh gods, Rei, the things she had seen, done, and experienced back then – the struggle with these memories was like a riptide. But I didn't drown in them, I couldn't; I was kept too firmly rooted by the feel of them in my arms. Again.   
  
    Finally.   
  
    My fingers in the warmth of Andraste's fur, the heat of Rei burning against my skin, the scent of them in my nose, and the feel of Condatis in Rei's hands. My very soul bared to her perusal.. but it wasn’t a harsh sickening feeling like we'd always been told to expect. Instead this felt like home.   
  
    Rei clung to me, her arms tightening around me like she had nothing left to hold on to. We were the only two in the entire universe. Andraste's whine sounded as I pulled Rei towards the bed, staying under my hand as we walked. I wanted nothing more than to pin them down and reassure them until they believed everything would be alright. That nothing would ever come between us ever again and I would always be there for them.   
  
    “You're not crazy.” I whispered, repeating my earlier words as I settled them on to the bed. “And please, don't ever make me watch you die again.”   
  
    My voice came out choked, remember how Rei'd practically killed herself in the last world... and I recognized how close they were coming this time. The very thought was making me feel ill.   
  
    “You remember?  Andraste asked weakly, falling against my side like I was the only thing that could keep her alive, Rei on the other hand was thoroughly incoherent.   
  
    “Of course.” Con replied, curling himself in Rei's arms in his marine otter form. The form I couldn’t see us leaving ever again. It was ours.... but more, it was hers. Rei held him closer to her chest, silent sobs wracking her frame as she buried her face in his fur.   
  
    It seemed to take me hours to find my voice again, content to just curl up in bed with the two of them. They’d completely relaxed once the overwhelming emotions had calmed but time was stretching on and I could feel the tenseness in them building again.   
  
    “You need to get out of here.” I said softly knowing that staying in this house this Masaru would end up killing them, Andraste gives a whimpering laugh as Rei opened her eyes to glare at the ceiling.   
  
    “Masaru agrees.” Rei stated humourlessly. Con and I looked at each other, frowning.   
  
    “What's going on?” Condatis finally asked, worry thick in his tone as he twisted himself against Rei, where we lay on the bed.   
  
    “He's kicking us out.” Andraste mumbled, shifting a bit so she was practically laying on top of Rei. Her  head rested on my stomach though, so she hadn't pulled away from us entirely. This position also stopped me from sitting upright in shock, Con gave a choked noise of disbelief.   
  
    “He's what?” I found myself asking in shock, glancing towards the packed bag near the door. I'd thought that Rei was simply thinking about running away again. But if he was...   
  
    “He's arranged for us to live with grandfather, said he couldn't be bothered any more.” Andraste told me, her voice flat. I reached down, stroking my hand across her ears.   
  
    “It will be good to get away from him though, right? I mean, when you say your Grandfather.. you do mean your mom's dad right, not your father’s father? He's always been understanding, this is a good thing, isn't it?” I prompted. Rei gave a sound of humming approval but Con nudged me; drawing my attention to where Andraste's gaze had fallen – the framed photo that rested on their bookshelf. The one of her family... before her mom died.   
  
    And then that's when I understood.   
  
    This wasn't just Masaru kicking her out of his house. It was him stripping her of any connection, with what remained of her family. Of the family she'd had for such a short time.   
  
    With these newly surfaced memories, I could see the way Rei had stumbled when interacting with her family...even when her mother had been alive. It had almost been like she'd been surprised to find herself a part of one. And it was only now that I realized that was exactly what had been happening, she could scarcely believe that she had a family of her own instead of just borrowing mine.   
  
    I focused more intently on Andraste, remembering very clearly the day she'd settled into her massive Direwolf form. Rei was eight and settling at that age was nearly unheard of in this era. It struck me that Andraste had settled when Rei's memories had surfaced... and that explained Andraste's surprisingly grown up form. At the time my daemon had still looked like a puppy in all his canine forms but Andraste had been... old. Tired.   
  
    I cringed slightly, she'd been struggling with this for so long. And when her mother died, Masaru no longer had his wife's voice reassuring him that their child was special. In the time after her death, Masaru had come to the conclusion that Rei was a burden and that fact would never change.   
  
    “Do you want to stay here for another night?” I asked Rei softly, trying to figure out if she wanted to cling to the few good memories this place held for her. Rei shrugged and when she was silent, providing no further clarification, I looked to Andraste. She huffed softly in annoyance, not at me but at Rei.   
  
    “He's decided that our belongings will be dropped off at grandfather’s while we're at school tomorrow. When we leave... we won't be coming back home again.” Andraste explained, pawing at Rei's leg before hopping down off the bed. Rei shifted moodily, still glaring at the ceiling.   
  
    “That still doesn't answer our question.” Con pointed out softly, his paws kneading softly at the back of Rei's hand.   
  
    “We'll stay with you for the night if you want...” I offered, unsure of what to say. I knew there was nothing I could do to make this better.   
  
    “I want to leave on my terms, not his.” Rei told us stiffly, getting up from the bed. A second later she looked back at me, the first sliver of a smile in her eyes. “I’m assuming that your mother has already told you to drag me home with you?”   
  
    I smiled.   
  
    --   
  
    Rei paused, studying me quietly, in a way that was achingly familiar now. Before it had always seemed odd... but now I was aware of the years of history behind that look. And all the emotion that would have been hidden behind it. Now I knew what to look for.  I hadn't known what to look for.   
  
    Rei and Andraste were watching Con and I as if recognizing what had happened, a certain knowing in their gaze – clearly having taken in the fact that Con no longer flitted between forms when the mood, or convenience, struck.   
  
    “You've...” Rei started to question but was cut off by Andraste's admonishing glance. Apparently Andraste still felt there should be some level of propriety between us. Condatis laughed, slipping down off my shoulders to land on Andraste's back; playfully swatting at her ears.   
  
    “Yes, when Con...” I began to explain, my voice trailed off; not really knowing how to adequately capture what had happened. What her touch had done to us.   
  
    Rei looked over to where Condatis and Andraste were mock fighting, clearly trying to sort out a dynamic that worked for them now that Condatis was a fixed part of the equation... where formerly there had been a variable. A wildcard.   
  
    “Because of me?” Rei murmured almost to soft for me to hear, her attention glued to Con's new form. From what I could gather from her tone, she sounded awed; a soft smile graced Rei's lips, a shimmer of tears in her eyes. I reached out to her, taking her hand in mine; struck by how much this was affecting her. Then I found myself brushing my lips against hers like we'd done it a million times before.   
  
    Well, we probably had... but never in this world. Never in this time.   
  
    “Of course because of you.” I told her, wrapping her in another hug. Rei's arms folded around me as she gave a laugh that sounded almost happy despite the circumstances.   
  
    And we remained like that until the headlights of my mom's car washed over us.   
  
    --   
  
    In the dark of my room that night Condatis nudged me softly, bringing himself as close to my face as possible; obviously trying not to wake Rei and Andraste who were curled up together on the couch across my room.   
  
    “What do you think?” He asked, even in the dark I could see his concern. I immediately knew what he was talking about. Our Settling. I reached out, running my fingers over his newly acquired form... still trying to acquaint myself with it.   
  
    “It's not what I was expecting but... I like it.” I told him, not really even certain why I liked it. I simply knew that I did. It certainly wasn't what Con had been in the past life, that creature didn't exist anymore, but this form worked for us.   
  
    “I'm not enough to protect them.” He whispered, clearly thinking of his past form – he'd been a force of nature back then. A being perfectly suited to watching Andraste's back and protecting her when necessary; small but powerful.   
  
    I gave a sigh, knowing exactly how he would be feeling. He thought we wouldn't be able to watch out for Rei.   
  
    “I don't think physical protection is what they need.” I commented, thumbing across the soft spot between his eyes. “I don't think that's ever been what they needed.”   
  
    “But...”   
  
    “Con, just take a moment and think about what you did with Andraste today.” I could sense the frown in him.   
  
    “I didn't do anything. I couldn't comfort her, I couldn't...”   
  
    “You did. We did.”   
  
    “What? Just because she was playing with us. That's not...” His voice scathing and incredulous. I did my best to laugh quietly.   
  
    “You got them to relax. This... this form you took – it lets them do that. You took it when they needed something to hold on to. And I think you chose perfectly... whether it was conscious or not.”   
  
    He didn't reply and I found myself watching Rei and Andraste with him, his look thoughtful while mine was fond. Then he grumbled.   
  
    “So what? I just have to be all small and playful and hope they get out of this alive?” He asked, still grumpy. I laughed again, this time unable to keep it as quiet as I wanted to.   
  
    “No. You get to watch out for her without other people realizing that's what you're doing. You're small and defenceless against whatever would be big enough to threaten Andraste... but just because they're fighting doesn't mean you have to.”   
  
    There was another pause from Con, this one thoughtful. Then he looked up at me.   
  
    “Just because I don't fight doesn't mean you can't. No one's going to suspect you to launch an offensive... not when you have me looking harmless.” His voice taking on the scheming edge I'd gotten so used to in our past life.   
  
    “Rei taught us to fight smarter, not harder, so that's what we're going to do.” I agreed. “Let them think we're harmless... until its too late. We certainly got enough practice fighting with appearances and words back then, it seems we can finally put it to use.”   
  
    “So... you're not upset? At all?” Con asked me, finally sounding self assured and content again.   
  
    “Not at all. I love you, Con.” I reassured him. There was a long silence between us, and when we were just about to drift off when Con spoke up again.   
  
    “What do you think Haruka and Lelantos with think of us?” His voice practically vibrating with excitement and curiosity. I paused, making a face.   
  
    “Assuming they remember us at all... I think they'll find it amusing.” I admitted with distaste, already imagining the gentle teasing. I was absolutely refusing to admit how much I was looking forward to that interaction. I gave a soft laugh.   
  
    “Well, at least Lelantos won't be a Griffin this time around.” I muttered. Con gave a happy sounding laugh that came out as more of a purr in this new form. “They'd be insufferable.”   
  
    “At least there's that.” He agreed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, some hopefully entertaining or revealing information about how this sucker came about. Basically I introduced my friend to His Dark Materials series and they immediately turned around and if I ever thought about Daemons when I was writing. I hadn’t but now the idea was there. One thing led to another... And here we are.  
> I’d already had a rough sketch of the scenes laid out as a general history for a work-in-progress and decided to flesh it out and see if I liked it. (I did.)
> 
> As for my thought process behind the Daemon choices...
> 
> Michiru – Marine Otter – male – Condatis  
> I wanted to pick something that really kind of suited Rei and Michiru's relationship more than truly suited Michiru. Basically for the exact reasons that are shown in the fragment I posted. They like being small and comforting even if sometimes they wished they'd settled into something fierce to help look after their loves. But they ended up cute and cuddly... and completely out of their element on land. Kinda doesn't work but totally suits them. I also have this thought that Michiru probably carries him everywhere because Con wants to seem even more useless than he really is. Just so they can properly blindside everyone if needed.  
> The name Condatis is from Celtic mythology and is associated with the confluence of rivers. Also as I found out on the wiki page, he’s equated with Mars. So I got to have a bit of a laugh.  
> I chose a Marine Otter as opposed to a Sea Otter because the physical size needed to be taken into account. And Sea Otters are actually a lot bigger than you’d think. Or at least bigger than I was expecting.
> 
> Rei – Direwolf – female – Andraste  
> Well first I guess I'll chose to explain a bit about my idea for rei having a wolf daemon. Basically the idea stemmed firmly from Phillip Pullmans original representation of wolf daemons in that world. The daemons of warriors. In the world I created I wanted wolf daemons to basically be outmoded, warriors like that don't really exist anymore and Rei not only has a wolf daemon but when she does some research she discovers her daemon is an extinct form of wolf. She's an anachronism, out of place in her own time because of the past life she remembers.  
> As for Andraste, I loved the name because it had so few associations in the texts I read back in school. Basically I was reading about Boudica's fight against the Romans and she invokes the name of Andraste.   
> ("Let us, therefore, go against [the Romans], trusting boldly to good fortune. Let us show them that they are hares and foxes trying to rule over dogs and wolves. I thank you, Andraste, and call upon you as woman speaking to woman... I beg you for victory and preservation of liberty.")   
> Now Boudica was one seriously bad ass woman, figure any goddess she invokes is equally so. Next question was did I actually want to go with Andraste or one of the variants like Andrasta or Andred. Which was tempting. But there's this game called Dragon Age and those associations with the name there aren't half bad either. So Andraste it was.


End file.
